- nice concrete tees
- good incorporation of creek on holes 2 and 4 for some added challenge
- good distance on most holes
- some good elevation change on about 1/3 of the holes
- great high quality tee signs with full color maps and alternate pin positions shown
- multiple pin positions on each hole (only one populated at a time)
- some garbage cans and benches
- most of the course is mowed fairly well
- nice quiet area to connect with nature - moving water, squirrels, trees, etc.
- larger oak trees are a nice change from all the maples everywhere

- some mowing of high grasses could be better
- could use some next tee signs, will benefit from a map
- start of course is a bit hidden/odd by Streamwood city buildings
- some walking path hazards, but park is generally quite empty
- 8-10' tall marsh grasses on 7, 8, and 11 are pretty rough
- no practice basket, no restrooms
- no numbers on baskets doesn't help navigation

The reviewer who called it Sunny Marsh is right - half this course is shaded by large oak trees, and the other half you're getting baked on your head and soaked on your feet in marshland. This is a pretty unique course and overall I'd say I enjoyed it, though with some caveats.

The skill level here seems intermediate, and hole distances are generally average, with the exception of hole 15 at over 700' which clearly exists just to join 2 disparate parts of the course together. I typically don't care for extra long wide open holes like this, but I get it. The rest of the holes had some reasonable technical challenge and some ok elevation change- in both cases nothing incredible. The entire course seemed to have a lot of downed branches, presumably from recent storms, but that may not be the case all the time.

The marsh part of this course is interesting, especially being pretty close to Black Bear Park which is the only other "marsh" course I've seen. In a way, I love this because it's something that 's uniquely Illinois and shows what we can bring to disc golf that not everyone can. That said, it's kind of brutal to play in. This was a new record for me in terms of plant height - if you throw your disc in the marsh plants, some of them are easily 8-10' tall to the point where you could honestly lose your sense of direction hunting through them. Miraculously, I somehow completed this round with all of my discs despite a few majorly errant throws. This is definitely a good challenge, but one of the most frustrating types of disc hunts I've seen. Your feet will also get soaked if you have to go into the marshes at all - and sometimes even if you don't, as there is some very tall unmowed grass areas that can be soaking wet, particularly in the morning.

Hole 11 was definitely my least favorite - this hole shares a tee with the walking path, which isn't really ideal but is certainly not unheard of. However, you throw over tall marsh grasses to a rather blind landing out in the open. There is a flag to mark the basket, but it's hard to judge how far you have to throw to clear the marsh grasses, and you can't see where your disc lands so finding it can be a bit challenging. If you aren't confident in your throwing ability, this would be the one to skip.

If you happen to be on the other side of the course, it's easy to enter the park from Oltendorf Rd. and play starting at hole 14 and end at hole 13.

Safety issues here were pretty minimal, but you do have to be aware of the walking path on some holes. Navigation wasn't too bad but was a bit unclear at times. To get to hole 9, as you are walking up the hole 8 green there is a bridge to your left through the marsh grasses. If you can see the hole 8 basket you've gone too far, so this isn't totally obvious. Similarly, on hole 11 after you tee off you can cut through the marsh on some old pallets to your right, though they're a bit broken down.

I would probably come back and play this course again if I was in the area, but you have to be mentally prepared to lose discs and/or get wet. It's a cool course with some reasonable challenge and distance but definitely not one I'd want to play weekly, I think it would just start to wear on me. Overall, it's worth giving it a shot.

Nicely laid out course. Love the 2 basket per hole, even though 1 set was up,

Mix of nature obstacles to create a challenge when playing.

Signage for holes and tee pads were great.

Hole #11 no designated tee box, have to use walking path as tee box.

Hole #13 tee sits close to a playground; could be a problem when weather is nice out.

A Baskets were down, which left the further set B Baskets. Made more of a challenge for a recreation/beginner player like myself.

Make shift boardwalks over creeks or through tall grassy areas, careful using could lead to muddy/wet shoes or injury.

Hole #15, 744 ft, should be at least a par 5 or 6 depending on skill level instead of a par 4.

Water hole
Heavily wooded hole
Very far Hole
Elevation hole

They need to mow those weeds!
High potential to lose discs on multiple holes
Hole 1 & 2 seem extremely short

I like the layout of this course a lot, however I hate how poorly maintained it is. Another issue I would place money on a beginner playing all 18 holes to lose at least one disc. There is extremely tall grass at multiple spots in this course.

I like this course a lot. it was the first course I started playing on and have been for almost 10 years. It has a lot of trees and obstacles to go around and tall grass and small creeks to avoid. Its a great change to some of the other courses around that are just plain open with no obstacles. the par's are what they should be for a course which makes it fun and competitive for all. The course has recently been redone with all cement tee pads and some new baskets and they moved some of the baskets around for a little change. If your a pro or a beginner you can have fun on this course!

to me there never really is a con to a course because if it has something you dont like its good to work at it to try and be better so nothing on a course will phase you.

BUT the one thing I would complain about at this course is maintenance. Always a lot of garbage floating around. I try and pick it up when I see it and throw it away when a garbage can is around but they only have cans at holes 1,7,10,18

Also as mentioned the remodeled the course and added new signs and tee pads and baskets and a few of the signs have been damaged or knocked out of the ground. It seems the used about a shovel full of cement and about half a foot in the ground and thought they would stay in the ground. ~trees and creeks are not a con. thats part of disc golf learn to play around~

FIRST TIMERS!!! READ HERE!!!

if its your first time coming to this course check out the map on here(http://www.dgcoursereview.com...f75d9764.jpg)it will help you A LOT. I cant tell you enough how many times I see people throwing hole 8 into the 9 basket.

ALSO the course is located on bartlett rd right across from Grace Lutheran Church. if you use GPS try searching 42.019211,-88.182185 Parking lot is located BEHIND the building and hole 1 starts where the bike path goes into the field you should see it once you park.

one more thing. keep an eye on your disc! I just lost an eagle the other day on hole #14 Its pretty easy sometimes to loose a disc on this course.

1) Very nice mature Oak trees help to make this course special.
2) Nice concrete tees are always appreciated over turf or other natural tee surface.
3) Nice rolling hills and elevation changes on some of the holes out here. I always enjoy rolling terrain and moderate changes in slope to create some challenge.
4) There are many multiple shot holes out here which is always appreciated.
5) Distance variation is tremendous with lots of 200's, 300's and 400's and the non-standard 700' hole. I love being able to play some placement golf as well as being forced to throw a lot of different discs and shots. This course makes you bring it all for sure.
6) I will always remember this course because it is where I got to see a real life hawk attack a remote controlled airplane. It looked like they collided but both kept flying just the same.
7) You need to be able to work the disc both directions out here. There are left to right turning holes and right to left turning holes so be prepared. I even got to throw a couple rollers out here to try and get some extra distance.
8) Multiple pin placements and alternate tees are available to change this course up a bit.
9) Risk/reward on #2 going after the basket will end you in the river behind the basket. #4 can be a good risk/reward shot going for the green area depending on where your drive ended up.

1) The walking path comes into play many times throughout the course. I always frown upon this, but I also understand disc golf needs to share space with other activities. I just wish all disc golfers were respectful of the others using the area, and I wish the others understood what it is we are doing.
2) There are a few boring holes set amongst some really good holes.
3) Lots of geese and goose poop on the course. I guess it goes hand in hand with a wide open field next to a wetland, but it sure would be nice if they would stay away or clean up their own poop.
4) Some tall grass annoyance here . .. although I avoided all of it, I am sure there is plenty of wasted time for people looking for errant shots.
5) I played during a 100 year drought but apparently this area will hold a lot of water. It is a lot of wetland surrounding the holes and is definitely in a river valley.
6) I parked and started on #13 because I could not find the course. I am not sure if that was my fault or the GPS, regardless I was able to play all of the holes, but it was an awkward start to the course.

I met up with a disc golf facebrook friend Julie Tucknott which was a little strange since I was 100 miles from home. I caught up to them on #16 and she asked if I played there a lot. I responded with no I am from Milwaukee, and she said are you Mike. I was kindof shocked, but she recognized me from my facebook profile picture, and perhaps read that I was going to be in the Chicago area playing a bunch of courses. This was my final course of an 11 course day (108 holes only . . . typical Chicago experience). I enjoyed playing a few holes with Julie and her friend and was glad to meet someone who I already knew from facebook. Disc golf is an interesting sport bringing people from all over together and people who wouldn't normally be friends to be friendly with each other. I also got to see a hawk attack a remote controlled airplane so this course will go down in infamy for me.

The concrete tee pads are nice at every hole except #11. For the most part this is a good course to work on distance driving with most holes having open areas to let it rip. Alternate basket locations are a good change of pace. Good mix of difficulty hole to hole

Alternate Tee boxes are marked on the sign at the hole but it doesn't help find them. Hole signs could also offer par for the hole, but don't. Sign for Hole #8 doesn't really help figure out where the actual basket is.

This course retains water really well so there is the tendency to be a lot of bugs around. Also the reads and marsh areas are disc eaters and very unforgiving. Generally a fun course to play and like others have said it's not a quick 30-45 minute course.

- Cement tee pads. longer holes have longer pads.
- Great use of the creek, available trees, and the few hills out there.
- Wind definitely makes for a constant factor
- Baskets all seem to be a similar height off the ground.
- good drive placement required for good score.
- Fun to play
- Not that beginner friendly. shanked shots go in the swamp. this is a pro cause that means less chuckers to wreck the course.

- Tee Signs are hard to understand unless you know the layout
- Can be confusing to play without guide
- Bugs can be nasty

The first time i came out and played this course was back when i first started playing. i left the course with just my putter. i was pissed. so i stayed away for many years. Now with the new tee pads in and the revamped course, i came back.
Obviously my skills have improved and i can actually place my shots. made the course much more fun. I dont think we played it correctly the first time, it is a bit confusing on where to go. just try to follow some locals and its a quick learning curve.
The course is mostly open, but most basket locations are strategically placed. The dang roll away putts can hurt, any time theres a slight hill the basket is on the side of it. makes for alot of fun. The creek comes into play at every opportunity. But it seems to be clear enough to easily spot your disc.

- Large tract of land makes a great place for a course. A lot of different looks throughout, thanks to a lot of water, swamps, some forest, and a few small hills.
- The water is a major factor in this course. There are some holes where it punishes a bad shot, in the form of a deep creek, or some deep swamp. And I mean punish, that stuff is nasty. Other holes actually have the water in play. #2 has the creek behind the basket, and #4 has it right before the basket by the "green". Even more on some other holes.
- A few slight elevation changes in an otherwise flat park. Hole #2 (the one with the creek behind it) is actually a pretty decent, but short, downslope. There are a couple of baskets on slopes as well.
- A handful of "forest" holes aren't really in the forest, but still provide some trees to get around. Not really significant. Definitely more of a mature tree in the fairway course than actual woods.
- A hole over 700', with a water hazard by the basket, is a true challenge. Distance and accuracy a must.
- Nice new tees. Signage and baskets OK.

- Can get awfully wet with any amount of rain. Especially bad in the open areas, and around the path by #11.
- Not many different throws are needed at all. A RHBH player will never really need to use anything else. Very, very few exceptions.

- There aren't that many pros or cons with this course. Very straightforward; if you can keep it away from the water, you should have a good round.
- Look out for those birds with the orange armpits (don't know the name). They are extremely territorial and will attack. They are usually by the cattails.
- Lack of shade can make for a long, hot day. I always make sure to bring some sort of liquid.

Nice mixture of holes on this course.
There are quite a few open ones but also a few that will make you shot through the gap, just a few like this from what I remember.
There has never been to many people there when I have played this course. Just watch the schedule or the board to make sure you don't come on a tournament day.

This course is sometimes wet. They might still have gravel tee pads, but it has been over a year since I played it last, so they might have changed that.
But sometimes when it is muddy it can make your drive challenging.
When it is wet there are parts of the course "under" water
Tall grass in some spots, but isn't that everywhere?

Good course to play if you are in the area, better than many of the surrrounding ones. There are a few holes where you can lose your disc but you should be ok.
The "water hazard" that people speak of really isn't that bad, just a little stream that is avoidable, but if you happen to get your disc in there, it is easy to get out.

The course plays through a mostly flat large park, with a few hills. There is a mix of wide open areas, and areas with scattered trees, making for some nice variety. There are water hazards on a number of holes, which add a nice risk/reward element and make the course a little more difficult. Where there is elevation, it was used fairly well to make more interesting holes.

There are signs for all holes with distances for both tees and both pin positions, and a good hole map with direction to next tee. The tee pads are concrete, and in great shape. They are pretty large, and have some texture to them for a good throwing surface.

There is a nice mix of shorter ace run holes, and some holes where you can rip some drives, and overall the design keeps it interesting throughout. There are some nice challenges presented by some rough and water hazards that will test your accuracy on some holes.

There are some holes that involve backtracking to get to the next tee, including one where you have to walk back up the entire fairway after playing it. Depending on who you ask, baskets 3 and 18 seem to be interchangeable. We saw some groups playing to them in their original numbering, and some playing with them switched, I'm not sure what the deal is. There are some blind holes where you have to walk to see what pin position is in use, a marker system would be helpful.

There were a lot of pretty swampy spots on the course, and according to the (very friendly) locals, that's pretty usual here. This meant it was really easy to throw a decent shot, and still end up in water or mud, or lose a disc in a small but deep and cloudy pool you couldn't see from the tee, and that gets a little frustrating.

The course was pretty buggy, especially in the lower areas of the course where there was a lot of standing water. Make sure to bring bug spray when you play here.

The course presents a lot of fun challenges, but also has some frustration involved for a first time player. The random water on the course and the tall reeds present hazards that does more to make you lose discs than strokes, not my favorite kind of challenge.

This course is not very beginner friendly in a lot of spots, with some long holes, and lots of places to lose discs in water or nasty rough. It does provide enough challenges and variety that more experienced players will find it interesting, and some good ways to mix it up with alternate tees and pin positions.

Challenging layout. Good mix of long and short holes. Course flows pretty seamlessly throughout with varying hole difficulties. Hole #3 is a fun whole which you can really go for the shot, and if you happen to throw it in the water there is a disc retriever to get your waterlogged disc. One of my favorite courses in the area because it does offer a challenge and it isn't a simple pitch and putt course.

It can be pretty wet here which can be a challenge for newer players who have difficulty keep a disc on a line. The tall grass and water hazads offer a nice risk reward, but if you don't feel comfortable airing it out or going for that difficult shot, play it conservative because it isn't too hard to lose a disc.

If you are in the area and need a course to play, Shady Oaks is the best available. It offers a good challenge, has a wetland feel to it, and allows you to practice accuracy and distance. There are alt tees/poles, but I have yet to play an alternate layout.

Stream in play on more than 5 holes. Cat tail areas in play on 3 or 4 others. In other words, you need to pick your spots to land. This is consistent with modern design. A partner and I played 10 courses in area over a span of three days and found this to be the best. This, of course, says something about the other courses in area; but also shows that this one is not bad.

As mentioned by other reviewers, this one pretty tough to navigate. We got spun around near the 9 and 10 seperation (by the school) and got stuck on the wrong side of creek with no way to get back across. Lots of extra walking there....A couple of locals helped us find and shoot from a cool hill side tee on the hole before the 700 footer. Nice shot we would not have found without their help. They also had us play from short tee (which is still 500 foot) on long one; and said locals shoot short most of the time. Again, we would not have known where this tee was without their assistance. The course was wet and seems to be constantly so. My buddy threw one in the reeds and had to take off shoes and socks to wander in; but, he did get that one back. There are multiple tees on this course; but, like many good courses that have been around awhile; the locals know where to go and don't seem to concentrate on helping newbies with good markings.

Because of the challenges from the creek and cat tail bogs, I thought this was a fairly challenging layout. Contact someone local and ask them to meet you there and I believe your experience will be a rewarding one.